If you are a Houston Rockets fan, you have to be excited for what Alperen Sengun brings to the table. He is typically small for a center, but is one of the most skilled big men if one looks into his game. He loves to use the spin move and is one of the best interior scorers who is still under development. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic said, “I think Sengun is talented. It might sound weird, but I think they should play through him more. Because sometimes they seem too stagnant as a team.”
You can see that Sengun has one of the best IQs for a big man. He has the court vision and the passing skill set which almost makes him look like the 2.0 version of Nikola Jokic. Sengun can almost back down the defenders in the post. He is a strong basketball player at 6 feet 9 inches and 235 lbs, who can push the defender into the paint and quickly release a soft floater or a hook shot. In the 2022/23 season, Sengun averaged 14.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 9.0 rebounds per game. He is one of the essential pieces for the Rockets, and his development is only going to help Houston become a playoff team in the future.
Alperen Sengun Teams
Before the NBA, Sengun had previously played in the Turkish league, where he played as a center for three clubs :
Bandırma Kırmızı
He began his first professional basketball career in Bandırma Kırmızı of the Turkish second League. He played 22 games and averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He shot 47.6% from the field and 25.9% from three-point land. He played for one year with the club from 2018 to 2019.
Teksüt Bandırma
Sungun then joined the Teksüt Bandırma of the Turkish Super League (BSL) for the 2019-2020 season. He averaged 5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks, and shot the basketball with 51.1% from the field.
Beşiktaş
He signed a three-year contract with Beşiktaş, a club in the first division of Turkey. In 2020-21, he was named the MVP of the league. Sengun went on to average 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks in the 29 games he played with Besiktas.
Alperen Sengun in NBA
In the NBA, Alperen Sengun has only played for the Houston Rockets. He was initially drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the sixteenth overall pick in the first round but was traded to the Houston Rockets for two future first-round picks. Alperen Sengun made his NBA debut in a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he scored 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
In the 2023/24 season, Sengun has averaged 21.1 points, to go along with 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, shooting 53.7% from the field.
FAQs on Alperen Sengun
A. Sengun was the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
A. Sengun is 22 years old as of April 2025 and was born on July 25, 2002.
A. He wears jersey #28 for the Houston Rockets.
A. Sengun’s height is listed at 6 feet 9 inches.
